Bhai Nand Lal

Bhai Nand Lal (ਭਾਈ ਨੰਦ ਲਾਲ; 1633–1720), also known by his pen name Goya (ਗੋਯਾ), was a 17th-century Sikh poet in the Punjab region.

Bhai Nand Lal Ji was an eminent poet and scholar of extraordinary linguistic abilities. Once considered to be one of the wisest scholars of the Mughal empire of India during the 17th century, he later became known as ‘the crown jewel’ of Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s court.

His in-depth and wide array of knowledge pertaining Hindu, Sanskrit, and Persian teachings, religious texts, and poetries and his devotion towards the teachings of the 10th Sikh Guru earned him the rank of ‘Court Poet Par Excellence’ among the 52 scholarly poets of Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s court. The divine bliss he found at the feet of Guru Gobind Singh Ji is poetically documented by him in his works — many of which were written in Persian.

Despite being of Hindu origin, Bhai Nand Lal became a revered Sikh of the times of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and is remembered in the Sikh community for his poetic, linguistic, and literary work that sparks with spiritual enlightenment. Most of his works have also been given the approval of recitation in Gurudwaras.

Early life
Lal was born in Ghazni. His father, Diwan Chajju Mal (1600-1652) was a disciple of the 8th Sikh Guru Har Krishan. Chajju Mal was chief secretary (Diwan) of Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Shah Jahan. Chajju Mal went with Shikoh during his conquest of Afghanistan. Dara Shikoh returned to India while Chajju Mal stayed in Ghazni, Afghanistan, where Bhai Nand Lal was born.

At age 12, Lal started writing Persian poetry with the Takallus of Goya. He learned Sanskrit, Hindi, Arabic, and Persian from his father. Lal was also a scholar of Islamic studies, even though he never took the Shahada.

His mother Dharga Mal, an Amritdhari Sikh, died when he was 17. His father passed away when he was 19. In 1652, Lal settled in Multan province, where he got married. Over the years, Bhai Nand Lal Ji advanced his position as an employee of the Mughal Empire.

Bhai Nand Lal was confirmed to be the wisest man in the entire empire. Despite being of Hindu origin, Bhai Nand Lal was a remarkable scholar even on the topic of Islam, which he had spent many years studying upon being requested to personally teach the emperor’s son Muazzam.

Once an issue arose where the emperor was unable to obtain a satisfactory interpretation regarding a letter from the Persian King. The emperor's son Muazzam personally asked his teacher, Bhai Nand Lal, to pen a response with an interpretation. Bhai Nand Lal’s response letter to the King of Persia was chosen by the emperor as the most adequate & was sent.

But the emperor was disgruntled at the fact that Bhai Nand Lal’s interpretations surpassed the entire court and even Islamic Ulama (the body of Muslim religious scholars and chief religious authorities). He couldn’t tolerate that the wisest man in the empire was of Hindu descent.(The emperor upon his death is continued to be known for having killed more than 4.6 million non-Muslims who refused to convert to Islam.)

Thus, in 1687, Bhai Nand Lal fled the court after impending conversion to Islam. He took refuge amongst the presence of the 10th Sikh Guru Guru Gobind Singh, who was outside the reach of the Mughal emperor's rein of tyranny.

Bhai Nand Lal was known to have come from imperial luxuries and to have held the status of being the wisest in the entire empire. The 10th Sikh Guru chose to first humble the great scholar. After a few days at the request of others in the Shrine, Bhai Nand Lal was asked to adopt the same form of service for the Shrine. Instead, Bhai Nand Lal offered his services to the Guru to help interpret or teach others in the Shrine, even to teach children, whoever was available.

The 10th Sikh Guru, wanting to humble the wisest man in the entire Mughal empire, suggested Bhai Nand Lal to wash the dishes, stating, “that is the only present need to be fulfilled at the time.”

It was initially quite a shock for the wisest man in the entire Mughal empire to have to wash dishes in a rural shrine. But he did so diligently, and eventually, as a result of his devotion and selflessness, he moved up the ranks to run one of the three of the Guru’s free kitchens.

When the right time came, Guru Gobind Singh Ji tested Bhai Nand Lal's ego, after which Bhai Nand was proved to be the most humble in the shrine (The Majestic City of Bliss Anandpur Sahib). Only then did the Guru bring forth the wisest man of the entire Mughal empire to be the crown jewel of his court.

Bhai Nand Lal had stated that in those years spent as a selfless servant of the 10th Sikh Guru he gained more knowledge than he had ever obtained over the course of his entire life.

In 1687, Bhai Nand Lal arrived at the Guru’s Shrine, The Majestic City of Bliss Anandpur Sahib.

In December of 1695, Bhai Nand Lal Ji wrote Rehatnama as narrated by Guru Gobind Singh on the banks of the River Sutlej.

In 1705, Bhai Nand Lal wrote Zafarnama narrated by Guru Gobind Singh, which was sent to the Mughal emperor. Bhai Nand Lal, the wisest man in the entire Mughal Empire, penned down his description of the 10th Sikh Guru, stating, “Guru Gobind Singh Ji is not a prophet here to impart upon humanity. He is not a perfect human being or saintly guide or worldly king. He is a manifestation of Light that permeates every single cell in the universe.”

Lal became a courtier in the darbar of Guru Gobind Singh; the tenth Sikh Guru. He was one of the fifty-two poets of the court.

Career


Initially, Bhai Nand Lal served as the secretary to Prince Muazzam, eventually rising to the position of chief secretary to Bahadur Shah I, the son & Prince of the Mughal emperor. One day, a letter arrived from the Persian king, containing a verse from the Quran that puzzled the emperor. Despite his efforts, he could not find a suitable meaning or interpretation for this verse. No one could, even through out his  entire court and the Ulama (the body of Muslim religious scholars and chief religious authorities).

Upon hearing of his troubles, Prince Muazzam, asked Lal if he could put together an interpretation and response to the King’s Letter for the emperor. The letter & interpretation was said to have greatly pleased the emperor. However, when he noticed the name was that of a Hindu, the emperor said that a man who carries such great wisdom of the Quran could not be of Hindu faith, so he should convert to Islam.

Upon hearing of this, Prince Muazzam summoned an imperial horse and asked a close friend, Ghyaz Uddin, to help escort his teacher, Nand Lal, to safety. In 1687, Bhai Nand Lal was forced to flee to Anandpur Sahib, the only place in the entire Mughal Empire that was out of the emperor's reach. They rode there overnight, and appeared before Guru Gobind Singh Ji who stayed in the town until 1704.

In 1695, Bhai Nand Lal wrote Rehatnama. In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh Initiated the Saint Soldier philosophy & created the Khalsa.

In 1704, the Mughal army shut down the City of Bliss in order to Siege Anandpur Sahib. Bhai Nand Lal asked Guru Gobind Singh Ji to allow him the right to fight against the invading soldiers. In response, Guru Gobind Singh Ji asked Bhai Nand Lal to remain a poet of his court, praising the written work of Bhai Nand Lal, “oh Bhai Nand Lal! Thousands will become Sikh and pick up the sword of honour. You must remain a poet of my court.”

Guru Gobind Singh Ji evacuated Anandpur Sahib in the freezing cold weather of 1704-1705. Near river Sarsa, the Mughals launched a sudden attack on the Sikh warriors, who fought with unbelievable courage and strength.

Meanwhile, Bhai Nand Lal went back to his home in Multan. But soon he joined Bhai Mani Singh and the women of the Guru Ji's household: the Guru Ji's wife Mata Sundari along with the mother of the Khalsa, Mata Sahib Kaur, whom Bhai Mani Singh had taken to the safety of Delhi which was beyond Panipat — the limit of Wazir Khan's reach. It is said that Nand Lal's contacts with the more liberal-minded members of the Mughal Court were helpful in providing for their safety.

In 1705, Bhai Nand Lal wrote Zafarnama, narrated By Guru Gobind Singh ji. Zafarnama reached Aurangzeb in 1707 and Aurangzeb died shortly after receiving Zafarnama in March 1707.

In the same year, Bhai Nand Lal joined Prince Muazzam and helped invite Guru Gobind Singh Ji to help Bahadur Shah gain the Mughal throne. Prince Muazzam later became the Mughal emperor as Emperor Bahadur Shah I.

After Bahadur Shah became emperor in June 1707, a reconciliation was commenced between Guru Gobind Singh Ji and the Mughal Empire.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji got Anandpur back from the Mughal Empire and remained close to the imperial camp for nearly a year. But Guru Gobind Singh Ji's appeals for the restoration of his lands turned out to be ineffectual as Bahadur Shah went on postponing any restoration to the status quo ante as he was not willing to offend either Guru Ji or the hill rajas.

Bhai Nand Lal came to Multan once again in 1712 after the death of Muazzam and started a school of Arabic and Persian. This school was still functioning in 1849 when the British annexed Punjab. Lal died in 1713 in Multan.

Works
Some of his major works include:
 * Diwan-i-Goya – contains 63 Ghazals and 12 Rubaiyāt (quatrains) and some verses.
 * Zindaginamah – It is a Masnawi of 510 verses which discusses the spirituality and high-spirit in one's life.
 * Ganjnamah – Ganjnamah contains short poems eulogizing the Ten Sikh Gurus.
 * Tankhanama – It contains the code of conducts for Sikhs and Khalsa.
 * Jot Bigās
 * Arz-ul-Alfaz
 * Tausif-o-Sana
 * Khatimat (also spelt as Khatimah)
 * Dastoor-ul-Insha
 * Faiz-i-Noor

Translations
His works, originally in Persian, were translated into Punjabi and English. The translation of Diwan-e-Goya, titled The Pilgrim’s Way by B.P.L Bedi into English has a foreword from Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and was published by Punjabi University Patiala.